Ship catches fire in Romania’s waters amid rising attacks in the Black Sea

A ship anchored in Romania’s territorial waters has caught fire and the crew has been evacuated, Romanian authorities said.

The incident comes amid growing concerns over hybrid attacks in the Black Sea involving Russia.

Romanian Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Wednesday it was unclear whether a drone had hit the ship, identified as the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J, and that an investigation was pending.

Multiple drones breached Romanian airspace on Wednesday near its border with Ukraine.

On Tuesday, two ships were hit in drone attacks off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, with one of them sinking, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

Radev said there was no clear evidence of who carried out the attack, but “the outcome benefits” Russia and that the Russian ambassador would be summoned over the incident.

Earlier this month, a grain ship caught fire and sank outside Romania’s territorial waters. Ukraine blamed Russian drones for the incident, in which two people were killed and 11 others rescued.

“A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Turkiye,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media.

Some see incursions by Russian drones into eastern European airspace as a test of NATO and the European Union’s defences and response capabilities.

Romania, a NATO member, shares a land border with Ukraine. Since the Russia-Ukraine war started, drones have breached its airspace while mines floating in the Black Sea threaten key trade and energy routes.

Last Wednesday, Bulgaria’s President Iliana Iotova said she would invite Romania and Turkiye to consultations on ensuring the security of merchant ships in the Black Sea.

On October 6, two ships were hit in a drone attack in Bulgaria’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone. One sank and the other was damaged.

The crew of the damaged ship were rescued, but the crew of the sunken one remain missing. Bulgarian authorities ended search operations after confirming no survivors were found.